Embedded world 2024: COMs, SIPs and SOMs

Embedded world 2024 showcases the latest developments in embedded modules, including COMs, SIPs and SOMs.

Innovations in embedded modules are on full display at embedded world 2024. Modules, including computer-on-modules (COMs), system-in-packages (SIPs) and system-on-modules (SOMs), are designed to reduce hardware design complexity, and now more than ever software integration.

Many of these modules are addressing the growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), particularly for edge AI, a big demand driver for many of the latest processors. These embedded modules are used across industries from consumer electronics to industrial, including a range of IoT applications.

Here is a sampling of modules on display at embedded world that simplifies hardware design in a range of applications. Many also offer extended operating temperature ranges for harsh industrial applications.

System-on-modules

Edge AI is highlighted in the module world with many of the latest SOMs focused on delivering advanced edge computing. One example is Digi International’s new Digi ConnectCore MP25 SOM, based on the STMicroelectronics STM32MP25 edge-AI microprocessor (MPU). It targets computer-vision applications in sectors such as industrial, medical, energy and transportation. The STM32MP25 is an industrial-grade 64-bit MPU for secure Industry 4.0 and advanced edge computing.

The SOM features AI and ML capabilities, with an integrated neural processing unit (NPU) and image signal processor (ISP), providing reliable wireless connectivity and time-sensitive networking (TSN) for smart portable devices and Industry 4.0.

The Digi ConnectCore MP25 features two Cortex-A35 cores operating at 1.5-GHz, along with a Cortex-M33 core and a Cortex-M0+. The SOM provides accelerated ML capabilities for advanced applications thanks to an AI/ML NPU, delivering 1.35 tera operations per second (TOPS) and ISP. Connectivity options include 802.11ac Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless technologies, along with cellular integration.

The ultra-compact Digi SMTplus form-factor (30 × 30 mm) and industrial temperature ranges (-40°C to 85°C) makes it suitable for harsh environments in a variety of IoT applications.

The company said the implementation of TSN and support for up to three Gigabit Ethernet ports, along with PCIe Gen2, USB 3.0, and 3× CAN-FD interfaces, “underscores its versatility and adaptability.” Digi International is exhibiting at booth 4A-131.

Digi International’s Digi ConnectCore MP25 SOM (Source: Digi International)

Seco S.p.A. introduced its first SOMs based on its collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. at embedded world. These include the first SMARC SOMs based on the Qualcomm QCS6490 and Qualcomm QCS5430 application processors.

The SOM-SMARC-QCS6490 is designed to simplify the use of the Qualcomm QCS6490 processor, Qualcomm’s premium-tier platform tailored for IoT. The chipset offers support for AI and computing, low-power consumption and expanded interfaces and peripherals for a variety of industrial use cases. The integrated Qualcomm AI Engine enables on-device ML applications, featuring a fused AI-accelerator architecture, to deliver a total performance up to 13 tera operations per second (TOPS).

The SOM-SMARC-QCS6490 (SMARC 2.1.1) features a Qualcomm Kryo 670 CPU housing 1× Arm Cortex-A78 @2.7 GHz, 3× Arm Cortex-A78 @2.4 GHz and 4× Arm Cortex-A55 @1.9 GHz. The Qualcomm Adreno 643 GPU delivers enhanced graphics performance and energy efficiency, supporting FHD+ @120 fps resolution on a primary display and a secondary display up to 4k Ultra HD @60 Hz. Other features include 2× MIPI-CSI 4-lanes, support for an ISP, a range of interface options (including USB 3.1, USB 2.0 and PCI-e Gen3 lanes) and a variety of serial interfaces.

Networking capabilities include 2× Gigabit Ethernet interface and optional Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.3. The SOM-SMARC-QCS6490 supports Microsoft Windows 11 IoT Enterprise, Yocto Linux, and Android, with both commercial (0°C to 60°C) and industrial (-30°C to 85°C) temperature variants available.

Seco’s SOM-SMARC-QCS6490 (Source: Seco S.p.A.)

SECO also introduced a mid-tier solution, the SOM-SMARC-QCS5430, powered by the Qualcomm QCS5430 SoC with premium connectivity, high-level performance and edge AI-powered camera capabilities with the potential for feature upgrades over-the-air via software updates. The SOM features an Octa-core Kryo 670 CPU with 4× Arm Cortex-A78 @2.1 GHz, 4× Arm Cortex-A55 @1.8 GHz and a Qualcomm Adreno 642L GPU.

The SOM-SMARC-QCS6490 and SOM-SMARC-QCS5430 come bundled with an operating system, board support package (BSP) and a software development kit (SDK). It is natively integrated with the Clea software suite, which enhances the hardware infrastructure with value-added services that include device management, remote updates and data pipeline management.

Seco also announced a new COM Express Type 6 module, powered by Intel’s Atom processors x7000RE Series. Launched at embedded world, the SOM-COMe-CT6-ASL delivers industrial-grade edge applications, incorporating the newly introduced Intel Atom processors x7000RE Series (code name Amston Lake). The x7000RE Series extends the latest feature set of the Alder Lake N Series to meet the stringent requirements of industrial applications, operating at extended temperatures with high performance and low power consumption.

The series offers configurations from two to eight cores and supports Intel Advanced Vector Extensions 2 (Intel AVX2) with Vector Neural Network Instructions (VNNI) to accelerate AI workloads. It provides full compatibility with Alder Lake N software and reference boards.

The SOM-COMe-CT6-ASL combines the industrial-grade Intel Atom x7000RE CPUs and commercial-grade Intel Atom x7000E (code name Alder Lake), which allows pin-to-pin compatibility, addresses thermal limitations and offers tailored SKUs for industrial and embedded applications, the company said. Target applications include industrial automation, automotive, healthcare and Industry 4.0.

The SOM offers high-quality visual experiences with three simultaneous displays, driven by three DDI interfaces (supporting DP 1.4 and HDMI) and one eDP 1.4 or single/dual-channel LVDS interface (factory alternatives). Connectivity options include 1× NBase-T Ethernet interface with a MaxLinear GPY211/215 GbE controller, supporting 2.5 GbE and TSN; 2× USB 10 Gbits/s, 3× USB 5 Gbits/s, 8× Hi-Speed USB, 6× PCI-e lanes Gen3, 2× S-ATA Gen3 channels and several serial interfaces. OS support includes Microsoft Windows 10 IoT Enterprise and Edgehog OS (Yocto).

Other features include up to 16 GB of DDR5-4800 memory with In-Band Error Correction Code (IBECC) for enhanced platform reliability and security and Intel Gen12 UHD graphics with up to 32 graphics execution units. Seco is exhibiting its complete offering at booth 1-320.

Seco’s SOM-COMe-CT6-ASL (Source: Seco S.p.A.)

SolidRun Ltd. claims the first market-ready SOM based on Hailo’s Halio-15H AI vision processor with AI inferencing capabilities and advanced computer vision engines. Unveiled at embedded world, the ultra-compact (47 × 30 mm) Hailo-15H SOM delivers in-camera edge-AI processing for a range of AI vision applications, including security, industrial automation, smart cities, retail and automotive.

The Hailo-15H SOM features a quad-core Arm processor and a high-performance AI accelerator integrated into a single system-on-chip (SoC). The Hailo-15H delivers up to 20 TOPS, enabling the use of AI for both image enhancement, such as low-light denoising and high dynamic range, as well as for video analytics. “This unique combination empowers developers to process multiple complex deep-learning AI applications in parallel, providing unrivaled speed, efficiency, and unparalleled video quality,” SolidRun said.

The Hailo-15H also enables high FPS DL model processing for fast and accurate detection of objects in real time without tradeoffs in camera power consumption and cost, the company said.

The Hailo-15H SOM supports premium 4K60 or 2×4K30 resolution and a 12-megapixel (MP) ISP video pipeline. It offers a comprehensive vision library and advanced image processing algorithms. Security features include secure boot and debug with the hardware-accelerated crypto library, TrustZone, TRNG and Firewall.

The Hailo-15H SOM is compatible with various micro-camera solutions, including models from Leopard Imaging. Its pre-tuned MIPI-CSI2 interface integrates with a range of micro-camera solutions, providing developers with a plug-and-play experience. The SOM is designed to work in extreme environmental conditions with a temperature range of -40°C to 85°C, making it suitable for harsh industrial application.

The Hailo-15H SOM comes with a comprehensive software suite, including drivers, libraries, and tools. It supports standard ML frameworks such as Keras, TensorFlow, PyTorch and ONNX, as well as specialized image and video processing algorithms. The SOM is available direct from the company and via select distributors. The SOM is on display at embedded world at Hailo’s booth 1-126 and at the ISC-West exhibition in Las Vegas, April 10-12, at the Hailo booth #31065.

SolidRun’s Hailo-15H SOM (Source: SolidRun Ltd.)

Another SOM targeting edge computing is Variscite’s newly launched DART-MX95 SOM. Variscite is demonstrating the new NXP iMX 95-based SOM for high-end edge computing for the first time at embedded world. The DART-MX95 platform, based on NXP’s i.MX 95 family of applications processor, targets medical, industrial automation, robotics, smart city/factory, test and measurement, security, HMI and vision-integrated applications.

The DART-MX95 SOM offers AI/ML acceleration, 2D/3D graphics and multimedia, advanced security and safety features, energy-flex architecture to conserve power and several connectivity options for high-speed communications. Key features include up to 6× 2.0-GHz Arm Cortex-A55, an 800-MHz Arm Cortex-M7 and a 250-MHz Arm Cortex-M33. High-speed interfaces include 2× USB 3.0/2.0, 2× GbE and 2× PCIe. Certifications include 802.11ax/ac/a/b/g/n, 802.15.4 and Bluetooth/Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3.

The company will demonstrate its SOM lineup, including the DART-MX95, VAR-SOM-MX93, DART-MX8M-PLUS, DART-MX8M-MINI and DART-6UL, at booth 4A-342.

Variscite's NXP iMX 95-enabled DART-MX95 SOM for high-end edge computing.

Variscite’s DART-MX95 SOM (Source: Variscite)

In the distribution channel, global distributor Avnet introduced its first AMD Versal AI Edge SOM to its SOMs lineup based on AMD’s Adaptive SoC family. The new VE2302 SOM is designed around a production-ready 50 × 50-mm form factor with three Samtec AcceleRate HD connectors for mounting to a carrier card. The new SOM can be used as a prototyping and development platform or a production-ready module. Avnet also announced a development kit to accelerate design with AMD Versal AI Edge. Target applications include optical object recognition, LiDAR- and radar-based detection, robotics, AI/ML, industrial control and automation and embedded compute.

The SOM features an AMD Versal AI Edge XCV2302 in a SFVA784 package with dual Arm Cortex-A72 cores, dual Arm Cortex-R5F cores, L1 and L2 cache with ECC, 256-KB on-chip memory, 8 GTYP transceivers and 34 AI Engine-ML Tiles. Memory includes 4-GB LPDDR4 SDRAM, 32-GB eMMC and 512-Mb OSPI Flash.

Avnet also has developed an I/O carrier card for the SOM, which supports interfaces for six MIPI (CSI2 or DSI) 22-pin headers, HDMI-TX, HDMI-RX, HSIO TXR2 PL expansion, USB 2.0 port, Gigabit Ethernet, PMOD and a MicroSD card slot. Other features include USB-C port for JTAG/USB UART, two CAN terminals, SYSMON Interface and multiple user LEDs, push buttons and slide switch.

The SOM comes with a PetaLinux distribution, including an out-of-box reference design and is compatible with all AMD Adaptive SoC provided software. The VE2302 SOM can be evaluated using Avnet’s VE2302-DK development kit, enabling designers to evaluate the capabilities of the module with a combination of peripherals.

The VE2302-DK includes the VE2302 SOM, VE2302-IOCC and power supply with an out-of-box reference design and downloadable hardware user guide, board definition file (BDF) and PetaLinux BSP along with example designs. Customization is available for the VE2302 carrier board, along with optional accessories for the VE2302-DK such as an HSIO M.2 Expansion module for extended memory or Wi-Fi/BLE connectivity. Software services, including Linux BSP and driver support, is available through Witekio.

This board will be exhibited at the show in the Avnet Embedded booth (Hall 1–510) with a range of new development boards engineered by Avnet Embedded, focused on edge-AI applications. The VE2302 SOM (AES-VE2302-1-SOM-G) and the VE2302-DK (AES-VE2302-DK-G) will be available in the second quarter of 2024.

Avnet’s VE2302 system-on-module (Source: Avnet)

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Embedded world 2024: MCUs and SoCs

Computer- and server-on-modules

Adlink Technology Inc. unveiled two new COMs based on the latest Intel Atom processors. They are available in two form factors: the COM Express (COM.0 R3.1) Type 6 Compact size and SMARC 2.1 Short size. Both offer up to 8-core CPU at 6/9/12 W TDP. Using Intel’s Gracemont architecture, with expanded cache and memory bandwidth, responsive coding footprint, combined with soldered-down memory and extreme temperature option, the modules are suited for a range of ruggedized IoT solutions at the edge, Adlink said.

The cExpress-ASL module offers a 2/4/8-core Intel Atom x7000RE & x7000C series processor, boosting up to 3.8 GHz, up to 16-GB LPDDR5 memory, and is integrated with Intel UHD graphics with up to 32 execution units. Other features include support for two digital display interfaces (DisplayPort/HDMI), eight PCIe ×1 Gen3 lanes, 2.5 GbE LAN and USB 3.2. Target applications include industrial automation, industrial HMI, robotics and AI.

The LEC-ASL SMARC module, in addition to the 2/4/8-core Intel Atom x7000RE & x7000C series CPU with 4/8/16-GB memory, adds support for two CAN bus and two MIPI CSI for camera connection, suiting IoT applications that require image capturing and on-device graphics processing, such as smart retail, measurement, access control and transportation.

Both of Adlink’s two new modules that feature the Intel Atom x7000C series are equipped with Intel TCC (Time-Coordinated Computing) and TSN) support. Intel TCC offers precise time synchronization and CPU/IO timeliness within a system, while TSN optimizes time precision for synchronized networking between multiple systems, making them suited for critical networking gateway and communication use cases.

Adlink also will offer COM Express and SMARC development kits based on the cExpress-ASL and LEC-ASL modules, with carriers supporting comprehensive interfaces for prototyping and referencing. The company is exhibiting at booth 3-147.

Adlink’s COM Express (COM.0 R3.1) Type 6 Compact size and SMARC 2.1 Short size. (Source: Adlink Technology Inc.)

Congatec GmbH made several announcements at embedded world, including the launch of its modular edge server ecosystem with a µATX server carrier board and new COM‑HPC server-on-modules based on the latest Intel Xeon D processors (code name Ice Lake). The new µATX server board for COM-HPC modules was developed for compact real-time servers that are used in edge applications and critical infrastructures and can be scaled with the company’s latest high-end COM-HPC Server modules.

The ecosystem of COM-HPC modules and µATX carrier board offers OEMs a wide range of customization options at the module, board and system levels, congatec said, and the modular approach with ready-to-use building blocks for industrial environments shortens time to market for new products and makes them future proof.

The µATX carrier board, conga-HPC/uATX server, offers maximum I/O and expansion options in a compact standard form factor, making them suited for a range of applications such as consolidating servers for virtual machines (VM) or edge servers for energy microgrids, video processing, facial recognition, security applications and smart city infrastructures. The conga-HPC/uATX server supports up to 100 GbE, ×8 and ×16 PCIe expansion for processing AI-intensive workloads via GPGPUs or other compute accelerators, 2× M.2 Key M slots for NVMe SSDs and a M.2 Key B slot for compact AI accelerators or communication modules for Wi-Fi or LTE/5G.

The new conga-HPC/sILL and conga-HPC/sILH server-on-modules feature the Intel Ice Lake D-1800 LCC and D-2800 HCC processor series, which offers up to 15% more performance at the same TDP compared to the previous D-1700/D-2700 series 8, congatec said. The improved performance per watt of the COM-HPC modules is suited for high-performance applications that were previously limited by their thermal budget. The platform also offers a variety of cooling solutions, including passive cooling for small chassis.

The Intel Speed Select technology makes it easier to balance the computing performance and maximum TDP of the system design, the company said.

The latest processors offer up to 22 cores with higher clock speeds to support next-generation edge applications with more performance per watt for more energy-efficient designs. Other features include firmware-integrated hypervisor and full real-time capability, provided by TCC, TCN and optional SyncE support.

The service package includes customer-specific BIOS/UEFI and real-time hypervisor implementations as well as expansion with additional IIoT functionalities for digitization, in addition to customization of the conga-HPC/uATX server carrier board. Congatec is exhibiting at booth 3-241.

Congatec’s µATX carrier board (Source: Congatec GmbH)

Congatec also announced its new aReady.COM family of COMs, the first stage of its aReady. strategy that delivers high-performance building blocks. The new aReady.COMs integrate an application-ready hypervisor, operating system and IIoT software configurations that customers can select according to their individual requirements and install into their applications.

The application-readiness extends to the virtualization, OS and software layer. “This means that the complexity of the integration work below the application layers and for the diverse IIoT functionalities of an embedded and edge computing system is reduced to a minimum,” congatec said.

The application-ready aReady.COMs offer a hypervisor integrated in the firmware and an integrated memory on which the operating system(s) and IIoT applications are pre-installed to specific requirements. For the evaluation of the aReady.COM portfolio, congatec offers two COMs based on the COM-HPC standard: the COM-HPC conga-aCOM/mRLP Mini Module and the performance-oriented COM-HPC conga-aCOM/cRLP Client Size A Module, both based on the 13th Generation Intel Core processor series (code name Raptor Lake). Their software building blocks are application-ready and can be combined/configured to provide a subsystem that is tailored to their specific requirements.

The first aReady.COMs are available with the ctrlX OS from Bosch Rexroth. The current portfolio includes the hypervisor for system consolidation, the IIoT software for device management, security, multi-site networking and databases, as well as the complete Bosch Rexroth ctrlX OS ecosystem. More aReady. products will follow.

Congatec aReady.COM (Source: Congatec GmbH)

System-in-package modules

Octavo Systems LLC has launched its new OSD32MP2 family, featuring two SIP modules. The new OSD32MP2 and OSD32MP2-PM are based on the new STM32MP25 processor from STMicroelectronics. These SIP modules target a range of applications from consumer electronics to industrial automation.

The OSD32MP2 series is built around the STM32MP25 processor, featuring dual Arm Cortex-A35 cores, an Arm Cortex-M33 core, a 3D GPU supporting Vulkan API, H.264 video encoding/decoding, a 1.35 TOPS AI accelerator and comprehensive connectivity options. They are designed for applications that require high-performance processing, advanced graphics and robust security.

The OSD32MP2 SiP solution integrates the STM32MP2 processor, DDR4 memory, power management (STMPMIC2), EEPROM, oscillators and passives in a 21 × 21-mm BGA package to leverage the full capabilities of the STM32MP2. The OSD32MP2-PM is a streamlined module focusing on the essential integration of the STM32MP2 processor and DDR4 memory in a compact 9 × 14-mm package. This SIP module is suited for cost-sensitive designs or designs that require flexibility in power solutions or form factors, like wearables.

Octavo Systems said the OSD32MP2 reduces design time and size by up to 60%, offering the lowest total cost of ownership. Samples of the OSD32MP2-PM will be available at the end of 2024, followed by OSD32MP2 samples in early 2025. The company is exhibiting at booth 5-424.